Tulip Festival

Before Katie left for Ghana, she invited us out to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. I hadn't ever been but had seen advertisements and wanted to go. We're thankful that Aunt Katie and Uncle Hank helped to encourage us. We had the most beautiful afternoon rolling down hills, walking, crossing bridges, admiring waterfalls, snuggles and kisses, watching Canadian goslings, feeding goldfish, and of course, enjoying thousands of flowers. Hank and Katie are such a cute couple and my kids love the time with them. We're so happy and thankful to have Katie in our family.

Stuart, consulting his tulip guide. Rolling down hills.
Hank is amazing to have around. He takes the twins on wild adventures, crazy stroller rides, and infuses their little lives with tickles and tricks. I don't hardly have to think about them while he's here.

Katie was our most beautiful photographer, thank you!

When Uncle Hank collaspsed due to hunger and exhaustion, the duo didn't know quite what to do.

Reflecting (on whatever 3 year olds reflect upon).

Snuggles in the grass.

And tickles.

See you next year AK and UH!

Stuart's Elbow

Is indeed broken. The good news is that it doesn't require surgery. Today, he traded in his old splint/cast (to accomodate swelling) for a new brighter trimmer variety at the fracture clinic at Primary Children's Hospital (let me tell you, they've quite an operation going there).

The bad news is that his cast can not get wet. Dr. Ortho Resident told me that a dozen different ways at least a dozen times. What? Do I not seem like a trustworthy caring mother?
Or maybe it was Stuart and Alison's attire that made me seem uncompliant. Apparently the t-shirt thrown over the rash guard didn't disguise his swim apparel entirely.

In my defense, getting a shirt over that big rigid arm is a lot of work and time, and we didn't have a lot to spare after running through the sprinklers this morning.






On the way out, Dr. Ortho Resident threw in, "And no dirt or sand... blah blah blah... gets inside... blah blah blah... skin degrades."

All I heard was, "I'm taking your son's will to live."

Happy Earth Day!

This is what I see from my front door and back door each morning (that I get up and look). I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy the view and hope my grandkids will enjoy their view.

The Other Side of Spring

Sun Allergies (itchy rash that responds to Benadryl)

Using your sled for a swimming pool because your Mama isn't convinced it will stay warm enough to justify a proper swimming pool. Busted Elbows make steering tricky.

Scavenging for food (Yes, he's eating the blue jay's peanuts off the ground. Yes, I do feed him.)

The task master.

Cleaning all the windows you can reach and putting the screens back on to keep the bugs out.

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I'm always amazed at the color vibrancy--the most yellow yellows and red reds.

Spring, Again.

Today was unseasonably warm. The high was 65 (according to the news, it felt much warmer than that). I dug the picnic table out of the garage, washed it, and placed it on the sunny lawn, but it was too hot so Stuart dragged it over to the only corner of shade. I'm fairly certain he would have withered and died by now had we stayed in Las Vegas. He is not at all heat tolerant. This is a game of Duck, Duck, Goose Duo-style (called head, head, head, goose, and involves all participants running).

Stuart treats the garden as his part-time job--a cool 4 hours a day loading and unloading his trucks, digging for worms, and building ramps. He's going to be devastated when we plant the rest of the vegetables. I'm already thinking about how much real estate I could compromise when negotiations start.

The picture above--I think Alison is posing--was taken from that angle because I spent a good portion of my afternoon doing this. I love the spring.

Peas & White Stuff

Nope, not snow. Blossoms from the fruit trees scattered everywhere.

First Tulip

This lone tulip bloomed early this week--just to make me happy. The other hundred in my front yard are still tight and green. Tulips have long been my favorite flowers and one of the best things about spring.

Other fun things include:

1. Creatively using the last of the winter squashes that have been stored under your bed for 6 months.

2. First baseball games.

3. Busting up your elbow. Oh wait, wrong list.